Mohammad Nabi and his wish to play with his son keeps him going, putting his retirement plans on hold for now.
Mohammad Nabi wants to play for Afghanistan with his son; may not quit ODIs yet.
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi intends to play international cricket with his son Hassan Eisakhil and may not retire from ODIs after the Champions Trophy as originally scheduled.
Nabi, 40, stated in November of last year that he will retire from ODIs after the Champions Trophy, but he is currently “still thinking” about his future.
Eisakhil, Nabi’s 18-year-old son, is a batter who played for Afghanistan in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup. His father hopes the two of them will soon play together for Afghanistan.
“These might not be my last ODIs, I will probably play less ODIs and give chances to the youngsters to build experience,” Nabi told the ICC. “I’ve discussed with the senior players and in the high-level games, maybe or maybe not, we’ll see. It will depend on my fitness.”
“It’s my dream. Hopefully we can do it. He is doing very well … he is a hard worker and I’m also pushing him to do work.
“I want him to make his own goals, if you want to get to be a high-level cricketer, you have to work hard. It’s not enough to make 50 or 60, you have to score 100-plus. He’s listening and pushing all the time. When he can talk to me, I try to give him advice to give him confidence for the game.”
Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa are all in Group B of the Champions Trophy. After placing sixth out of the top eight teams at the 2023 ODI World Cup, this is their maiden tournament debut. They also advanced to the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan begin their Champions Trophy campaign against South Africa in Karachi on February 21 before travelling to Lahore to play England and Australia on February 26 and 28.